| Interview with Lauren Baratz-Logsted |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your readers and
fans.
Thanks for having me, Jen!
Let's get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
I think I was twelve when I first became serious about writing. My English teacher had us write stories that
had to involve three elements: a priest, a nurse and a camel. I set it on a desert island and wrote a story
that was very Thorn Birds, meaning the priest was reconsidering his vows in light of true love entering his
life. My teacher had me read it to the class three days running. I'm guessing the other kids were sick of it
by day three - probably by day two! - but it gave me an early confidence in my writing ability.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It's a very loooong story, so I'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version. I left my day job in 1994 to take a
chance on myself as a writer. Eight years later, having written seven novels and been through three
agents, I sold my sixth adult novel, The Thin Pink Line, a dark comedy about a woman who fakes an
entire pregnancy, all on my own to Red Dress Ink.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Angel's Choice will be my first Young Adult novel, following four adult comedies, one adult literary novel,
and the editing of the anthology This Is Chick-Lit. I think that Angel's Choice, a book about a high school
senior on the fast track for Yale who finds herself pregnant, showcases how all the choices we make -
micro as well as macro - matter a great deal; it's about living life with your eyes open and living life by
your own rules, not anyone else's.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
That's a tough question. I'd have to say, though, that the one person who guides my writing most is my
six-year-old daughter, Jackie. In the back of my mind, I suppose I'm always thinking that I hope when
she's old enough to really understand what I do, she'll be proud of what I've accomplished and she'll
recognize the importance of pursuing one's dreams.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My husband Greg Logsted, who I've been married to since 1989, has just sold his own first novel, a book
for tweens, so there will be two writers in the family! My mother, at 83, is still sharp, and she carries
foreign editions of my novels in her purse to show the doctor, the hairdresser, the waitress at the diner,
the bank teller. As for Jackie, well, you already know about her. She'll likely grow up to be a better writer
than either her mother or father!
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Frosting.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, get down to work.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
How messy I am - you'd wonder how I ever get any books written!
Everyone asks the question about "if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?" so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Green. To me, it's the color of life. When I'm at my best, I'm extremely alive and, as my publishing history
has proven, very resilient.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Daffy Duck for the first - he's all id. As for the second, I'd like to think I'm Bugs Bunny, but who knows.
Maybe I'm really Elmer Fudd and don't know it?
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!"), during any time in history,
where and when would it be--and why?
Another really hard question! At first I was thinking of disasters - you know, so I could go back and try to
stop them - but there have been so many, it'd be impossible to choose, as though in choosing one you
were saying you don't care about the others. I guess, then, I'll have you beam me back to Stratford-upon-
Avon when Shakespeare was writing, so I could sit on his shoulder and watch him create. I don't know,
maybe I could refill his inkwell for him or something.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I like all kinds of music. Some favorites include Warren Zevon, Frank Sinatra, 3 Doors Down, Maroon
Five. I don't usually listen while writing but I did write nearly the whole of my one literary adult novel,
Vertigo, while repeatedly listening to the soundtrack from The Piano.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I like "House", "Jericho", "Friday Night Lights", "Rescue Me", "The Gilmore Girls", "Entourage", "Rome",
and we've been on a DVD kick with Jackie, so I've been seeing a lot of old episodes of "The Brady
Bunch" and "I Dream of Jeannie." I don't usually watch movies over and over anymore - life's just too busy
- but some I've really enjoyed are The Piano, Shakespeare in Love and To Kill A Mockingbird. Some
more recent movies I've enjoyed are She's the Man and Invincible (I think Mark Wahlberg is incredibly
cute), and the last movie I saw in the theatre was Happy Feet because Jackie wanted to go.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Life is incredibly short, even though it doesn't seem like it today, so have a dream and pursue it with
everything you've got. Make your time on this swiftly tilting planet matter.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My second YA is still untitled but it's about a girl whose novelist mother gets crushed to death by a stack
of Harry Potter books. Her father transfers her from New York to a private school in Connecticut where
she gets involved solving a mystery involving her new arch-enemy and an online sex predator. I also
have a tween book in the works, called Stacked, about a twelve-year-old in the eighth grade who is
dealing with her own ambivalence about having, um, spectacular breasts.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thanks so much for having me, Jen - I've really enjoyed my time here!
My name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your readers and
fans.
Thanks for having me, Jen!
Let's get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
I think I was twelve when I first became serious about writing. My English teacher had us write stories that
had to involve three elements: a priest, a nurse and a camel. I set it on a desert island and wrote a story
that was very Thorn Birds, meaning the priest was reconsidering his vows in light of true love entering his
life. My teacher had me read it to the class three days running. I'm guessing the other kids were sick of it
by day three - probably by day two! - but it gave me an early confidence in my writing ability.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It's a very loooong story, so I'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version. I left my day job in 1994 to take a
chance on myself as a writer. Eight years later, having written seven novels and been through three
agents, I sold my sixth adult novel, The Thin Pink Line, a dark comedy about a woman who fakes an
entire pregnancy, all on my own to Red Dress Ink.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Angel's Choice will be my first Young Adult novel, following four adult comedies, one adult literary novel,
and the editing of the anthology This Is Chick-Lit. I think that Angel's Choice, a book about a high school
senior on the fast track for Yale who finds herself pregnant, showcases how all the choices we make -
micro as well as macro - matter a great deal; it's about living life with your eyes open and living life by
your own rules, not anyone else's.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
That's a tough question. I'd have to say, though, that the one person who guides my writing most is my
six-year-old daughter, Jackie. In the back of my mind, I suppose I'm always thinking that I hope when
she's old enough to really understand what I do, she'll be proud of what I've accomplished and she'll
recognize the importance of pursuing one's dreams.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My husband Greg Logsted, who I've been married to since 1989, has just sold his own first novel, a book
for tweens, so there will be two writers in the family! My mother, at 83, is still sharp, and she carries
foreign editions of my novels in her purse to show the doctor, the hairdresser, the waitress at the diner,
the bank teller. As for Jackie, well, you already know about her. She'll likely grow up to be a better writer
than either her mother or father!
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Frosting.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, get down to work.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
How messy I am - you'd wonder how I ever get any books written!
Everyone asks the question about "if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?" so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Green. To me, it's the color of life. When I'm at my best, I'm extremely alive and, as my publishing history
has proven, very resilient.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Daffy Duck for the first - he's all id. As for the second, I'd like to think I'm Bugs Bunny, but who knows.
Maybe I'm really Elmer Fudd and don't know it?
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!"), during any time in history,
where and when would it be--and why?
Another really hard question! At first I was thinking of disasters - you know, so I could go back and try to
stop them - but there have been so many, it'd be impossible to choose, as though in choosing one you
were saying you don't care about the others. I guess, then, I'll have you beam me back to Stratford-upon-
Avon when Shakespeare was writing, so I could sit on his shoulder and watch him create. I don't know,
maybe I could refill his inkwell for him or something.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I like all kinds of music. Some favorites include Warren Zevon, Frank Sinatra, 3 Doors Down, Maroon
Five. I don't usually listen while writing but I did write nearly the whole of my one literary adult novel,
Vertigo, while repeatedly listening to the soundtrack from The Piano.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I like "House", "Jericho", "Friday Night Lights", "Rescue Me", "The Gilmore Girls", "Entourage", "Rome",
and we've been on a DVD kick with Jackie, so I've been seeing a lot of old episodes of "The Brady
Bunch" and "I Dream of Jeannie." I don't usually watch movies over and over anymore - life's just too busy
- but some I've really enjoyed are The Piano, Shakespeare in Love and To Kill A Mockingbird. Some
more recent movies I've enjoyed are She's the Man and Invincible (I think Mark Wahlberg is incredibly
cute), and the last movie I saw in the theatre was Happy Feet because Jackie wanted to go.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Life is incredibly short, even though it doesn't seem like it today, so have a dream and pursue it with
everything you've got. Make your time on this swiftly tilting planet matter.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My second YA is still untitled but it's about a girl whose novelist mother gets crushed to death by a stack
of Harry Potter books. Her father transfers her from New York to a private school in Connecticut where
she gets involved solving a mystery involving her new arch-enemy and an online sex predator. I also
have a tween book in the works, called Stacked, about a twelve-year-old in the eighth grade who is
dealing with her own ambivalence about having, um, spectacular breasts.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thanks so much for having me, Jen - I've really enjoyed my time here!
| Be sure to visit Ms. Baratz-Logsted's Website! |